Council of Elders Meeting in Cincinnati Ohio
United Church of God, an International Association
Council of Elders Meeting Report
Monday , December 8, 2003 – Cincinnati, Ohio
The main focus of this morning's meeting was an update from Peter Eddington on progress made in the development of the "Broadcast Television Media Strategy." The Council also quickly completed a few details of GCE 2004 planning. Doug Horchak gave a report on the progress of the Evangelism Task Force. And there was a brief discussion on procedures for Council committee work. The Council moved into executive session for the afternoon.
GCE 2004 Planning Details
Robert Dick reviewed the Council of Elders Nominee Questionnaire which was developed by the Ethics, Roles and Rules Committee. Its purpose is to provide tangible questions that will help members of the general conference better understand candidates for the Council. To develop the form, Mr. Dick and the committee edited and simplified questionnaires used in previous years.
Mr. Dick read through the questionnaire and asked the Council to consider whether the questions are sufficient or if any additions, deletions or edits were necessary. Two minor edits were suggested. The form was unanimously adopted for use beginning with the 2004 General Conference of Elders.
Clyde Kilough moved the Council quickly through a few more details of the GCE plan. It was established that the international representatives will arrive in Cincinnati on Wednesday, April 28. Meetings of the international representatives will be coordinated by Leon Walker and will take place on Thursday, April 29. Meetings for the Media and Communications Services department will be held on Friday, April 30.
Mr. Kilough and Roy Holladay will work together to determine the international representatives whose expenses will be paid by the Church for the 2004 conference. They will also establish a system for planning and clear communication on that matter for future conferences.
Home-Office Produced Television
Mr. Eddington, Media and Communications Services operation manager, took the floor to provide the Council with additional information on the possibility of establishing a video recording studio at the home office. In the August 2004 meetings the Council passed a resolution authorizing Mr. Eddington to implement the "Broadcast Television Media Strategy." Today's report was an update on what has been accomplished to date.
His report, titled "Further Details, Options and Costs for Possible Video Recording Studio," documents that the studio can be built, equipped and stocked with a year's worth of supplies and production materials at a cost of less than $125,000.
The proposed production staff would include a director, producer/editor, time buying agent, telephone response coordinator, four cameramen, an audio technician, lighting grip, makeup artist and set decorator. It would be made up of a combination of current employees, volunteers and a handful of on-call individuals who would work a couple of days a month when programs are recorded.
The plan calls for the production of 32 programs each year, recorded on DVD for station distribution. A master audio track would be made onto CDs for radio station distribution, eliminating the need to record separate radio programs on most subjects. The programs could be broadcast on the 70 cable-access stations currently contracted and the Church would pursue contracts with an additional 180 cable-access stations. Video and audio clips of 90-second, 5-minute, 15-minute and 29-minute lengths would be posted on a new television Web site.
The four suggested program-content categories were a vision of the Kingdom of God, understanding God's righteousness, world events and current trends and personal and collective growth. Specified review criteria would be used to monitor quality and measure the success of the program.
Mr. Eddington also provided a computer-generated mock-up of the set design, which is highlighted by a three-man desk, a three-section backdrop that provides different viewpoints depending on the camera angle, including the Good News television logo and the United Church of God seal, a bank of television monitors and other elements.
Telephone response services have been researched, so viewers will be able to call to request literature advertised on the program.
The timing of further development of the strategy is a matter of budget. Mr. Eddington expressed his hope that the initial $125,000 for the one-time cost of building the set and purchasing equipment might be included in the 2004-2005 media budget. At the earliest, program production would begin the following year.
Mr. Eddington opened up the floor to the Council for their questions, comments and suggestions.
• Richard Thompson noted that the report indicated that in the third year of the plan there would be a $250,000 budget for purchased airtime. Mr. Eddington explained that 200 cable-access stations would cost about $40,000. The remaining $210,000 could be used to purchase time on local broadcast affiliates. For comparison, he pointed out that a 30-minute Sunday morning time slot on the Chicago superstation WGN would cost more annually than this figure allows.
• Mario Seiglie asked if Treasurer Tom Kirkpatrick had given any indication as to whether the budget could sustain television programming in the long run. Mr. Eddington said that the television budget would be a portion of the media budget. When the full amount of the media budget is set, it will be possible to determine what amount is available for television. Once the studio is built and equipped, overhead costs from year to year can be quite low. The strategy will be to concentrate on use of the Internet and cable access stations before we venture into purchasing broadcast TV airtime, if at all.
• Jim Franks asked what would happen to the two cable-access television programs already being produced by local congregations. Mr. Eddington said that combining our efforts would bring the best results. Those involved in the production of the other programs could become part of the team producing the home office program.
• Doug Horchak asked if any additional full-time employees would be required. Mr. Eddington said that long-term there may be a need for a full-time producer/editor to support the program.
• Joel Meeker asked what would be the life span of the studio. Mr. Eddington said that the set itself would be tweaked and updated on an ongoing basis. The average life span of the electronic equipment is about five years, but equipment would not have to be replaced all at the same time, and some equipment will last for many years beyond that.
• Mr. McCullough asked if we are anticipating the next level of technology in the equipment under consideration. Mr. Eddington said that the next technological steps include high definition television and the convergence of television and the Internet. The direction we're headed will take advantage of that convergence and will add to the Church's already content-rich Web sites, making them readily accessible to a potentially much wider audience. One of the most important reasons for going into television is that its convergence with the Internet opens up so many possibilities.
• Mr. Kilough asked how far we have progressed in the plan. Mr. Eddington said that Year 1 of the plan is the planning phase. But Year 2 (the building of the set and purchase of equipment) doesn't necessarily follow in the next fiscal year. It begins whenever budget is allocated, so what happens next depends on the upcoming budgeting cycle.
Mr. Eddington's report includes suggestions for doctrine and content reviewers, presenters and potential interview guests. The Council offered several comments and questions on the subject of the program format and the selection of presenters.
• Mr. McCullough noted that the plan is for a panel or interview-style program rather than having one man as the presenter. He asked if that was an assumption or if there will be discussion and a specific decision to use that format. Mr. Eddington said that his primary purpose today was to give the Council an overview of our television potential and that the specific format is something that would be discussed and decided in the future. He did note that we get our best Good News radio program response from the interview format. The one-man or "talking head" television format is dated. Current news and information programs consistently use a group or panel approach.
• Clyde Kilough stated that at some point it would be necessary to fully discuss the pros and cons of having one presenter or a panel – although that decision is not pressing in terms of budget. He also suggested that there are many format variations including rotating one-man hosts, various numbers in panels and/or with interview guests... Selecting presenters would be a major decision which the Council would make very carefully. Mr. Eddington responded that since at the very earliest we will not begin production until the 2005-2006 fiscal year, that discussion wouldn't be necessary right away. He also pointed out that the set design would work for either a panel or single presenter format. Videos of the currently produced cable-access programs will be provided to interested Council members so they can see various presenters in action.
• Video producer Clay Thornton pointed out that a one-man presentation program requires more production time. A program with multiple on-screen presenters saves time and expense because there is not as much need for additional video clips.
• Roy Holladay mentioned that there could be a variation. It wouldn't be necessary to lock in on just one format.
• Mr. Eddington added that having a studio available would allow us to quickly produce a short commentary in the event of a major breaking news story. A local individual could record, for example, a 90-second or 5-minute clip that could quickly be uploaded to the television Web site.
• Victor Kubik expressed that he is very supportive of the plan so far. He emphasized that broadcast television as we know it won't exist in a few more years. With the proposed program the Church will be poised to take advantage of cable and the Internet. He also pointed out that years of experience has prepared a number of men for this opportunity. The television program will energize the Church as members see the possibilities and results. The actual program is still at least a couple of years in the future, which gives us time to discuss and determine the format and content.
Evangelism Task Force
Mr. Horchak, chairman of the Evangelism Task Force, gave the Council a report on the status of this study paper project. Members of the task force are Jim Servidio, Ken Graham, Bruce Dean and Peter Hawkins.
Mr. Horchak distributed copies of the 17-point outline the task force has developed and reviewed it with the Council.
- Introductory comments.
- Historical background and practices of evangelism in the Church (Radio Church of God, Worldwide Church of God, Herbert Armstrong).
- Recent history of United Church of God "preaching the gospel".
- Evangelical Christianity's view of "evangelism".
- Public proclamation in the Old Testament.
- Eveangelism in the New Testament.
- Use of the Grek word euangelizo in the New Testament.
- Use of the word kerruso in the New Testament.
- What is an evangelist?
- Who can evangelize?
- Matt:28:18-20 – what does it mean to make disciples?
- Member involvement in "preaching the gospel?
- What about Luke 10, Acts 8, Philippians 1:14?
- Local evangelism: what does the Bible say?
- Duty or option to "preach the gospel"?
- Evangelism conclusions will satisfy the Council of Elders resolution:
- Appendixes (as necessary).
The task force plans to work with the Doctrine Committee and will strive to complete the study paper and have it ready for Council review by the February 2004 meetings.
Scheduling and Tracking Council Committee Work
Mr. Kilough addressed a specific aspect of the coordination between the Council of Elders and work assigned to and completed by its committees. He emphasized the importance o communication between the Council and committees so that everyone will know what projects each is involved in.
Through discussion it was clarified that committees should not take on any project unless it is remanded to them by the Council. A committee is not to generate its own work, nor can an individual Council member give a project to a committee. Further, upon completion of the project the committee is to return it to the Council. It was also suggested that at the first meeting of each Council session it would be helpful for each committee to report to the Council on its current projects and workload.
The morning meeting adjourned at 12:15 p.m. The Council met in executive session all afternoon to consider ordination and credentialing requests, select speakers for the GCE 2004 Sabbath service, keynote speakers for the 2004 GCE, address a legal matter and address a few other personnel issues.
-Don Henson
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